Cell Plasticity in Colorectal Carcinogenesis research group under leadership of Prof. Dr. Greten receives extension for additional 3 years
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death among cancers. Although there have been advancements in diagnosis, therapy in patients with metastases has only been successful in a few patients over the past 60 years. The research group headed by Prof. Dr. Florian Greten, director of GSH and speaker of the LOEWE Frankfurt Cancer Institute, has been investigating the connection between inflammatory processes and tumor growth for several years. This is also the core topic of the research group Cell Plasticity in Colorectal Carcinogenesis, which has been approved by the German Research Foundation DFG for a second funding period of 3 years starting in July 2019.
“In considering the issue that patients with colorectal carcinoma do not respond adequately to therapies that aim at selectively killing cancer cells, we are confident that it is more effective to influence the local immune system around the tumor”, stated Prof. Dr. Greten.
An essential condition for the development of appropriate components is to decipher the complex signaling routes in the microenvironment of the tumor. The Cell Plasticity in Colorectal Carcinogenesis research group is conducting seven subprojects to pursue this task. The members belong to various universities, either the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research DKTK or a leading oncology center.